Mischief Mistletoe
by SilverDragonsFlame
Summary: COMPLETE! Featuring our favorite Gryffindor-Slytherin couple, the trial run of Fred and George's latest Christmas gag captures two very much unsuspecting students...DG
1. Prologue

Welcome to my first ff.net story!! Featuring our favorite Slytherin and Gryffindor, hope this Christmas story makes you smile ( (and if it does, hit the review button! *blows kisses to wonderful reviewers* Happy holidays!)  
  
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco.well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!  
  
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Mischief Mistletoe - Prologue  
  
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"Daddy, read me!"  
  
Fred Weasley quickly gave his wife a hello kiss before scooping the toddler girl into his arms. He regretted coming home from the store so late, but he and George were desperately trying to come up with a new gag for the Christmas holidays, and so far, their efforts had been quite under what was expected from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It was either old and tired, or not surprising enough, not Christmassy enough, or not enough of a gag.  
  
Angelina Weasley smiled at him and tickled their daughter. "Your turn tonight. Apparently. Although I think it's been Daddy's turn all this week," she finished, turning to their daughter.  
  
Fran blew an angelic raspberry at her mother before throwing her arms around her dad's neck. "Bedtime!"  
  
Giving their daughter a wry look, Angelina shook her head. "I don't think other parents ever have their kids telling them they're ready for bed. Honestly, Fred, if you came home earlier in the day, she might not be so excited for bedtime at six, and up again at five."  
  
Though said in a joking tone, Fred knew his wife was actually serious in her complaints about the hours he had been spending at work. He gave her another quick, complaisant kiss before whisking Fran back through the hallway of their London flat.  
  
Fred tried to keep his frustration hidden as he tucked Frangelina into bed. His wife hadn't spoken to him for a week after she'd recovered from childbirth to find he'd named their daughter Frangelina, and refused to call her anything but Fran.  
  
He was still worrying about his dilemma at work as he read his daughter's favorite fairytale, Sleeping Beauty, to her. It was already the end of November; they needed time to test any new products before getting them on the Christmas market, and if he and George didn't come up with something quick.  
  
"Is that how you and Momma met?" Fran asked. "Were you her one and only Prince Charming, the only one who could save her?"  
  
Fred thought about it for a moment, remembering the moment Angelina had been knocked off her broom during his seventh year. "Yes, I most certainly was."  
  
Fran gave a contented sigh as she rolled over and whispered drowsily, "I wanna find my Prince Charming."  
  
Laughing, Fred tucked the covers around her again and kissed her forehead. "Maybe when you're older. And at Hogwarts, where you'll learn all the magic you want."  
  
As he left his daughter's room, turning out the lights and switching on her Sleeping Beauty night-lite, Fred was struck with the most brilliant idea. Not only did he have the idea for the perfect Christmas gag, thanks to Fran, but also a place to test it quickly before Christmas.  
  
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So, it shouldn't be more than a day or two before we get into the REAL story. Stay tuned! 


	2. The Gift

A/N: So, we're ready to get into the actual story of Mischief Mistletoe. Seeing as how it's a Christmas story, updates should be very quick, and the story quite short. So read and enjoy! :) ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame  
  
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!  
  
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Mischief Mistletoe - Chapter One  
  
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Ginny Weasley quickly gulped down her second glass of pumpkin juice, hoping it would cool the hot flush she could feel on her cheeks. Dammit, but that was the third time this week Dra-er, Malfoy had caught her looking at him!  
  
The red still on the rise (she could feel it spreading to her ears, which was the absolute worst thing about being a redhead with fairskin), she grabbed Hermione's drink and tried to down that one too. Only it got caught in her throat about halfway down, causing her to almost cough up a lung trying to free her airway.  
  
Of course, Ron's incessant pounding on her back wasn't helping matters either. Was he trying to kill her? Finally getting enough of her voice back, she growled, "Stop already! As if I don't have enough bruises on my back from Quidditch practice this week!"  
  
She could tell she'd spoken too harshly too him when his eyebrows disappeared into the fringe of hair covering his forehead. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she apologized quickly, telling him she was fine now.  
  
Ron still looked unsure. "You sure, Gin? And if those bloody beaters are being too hard on you at practice, you should have let me know!"  
  
Ginny grabbed onto one of his arms, noticed Hermione holding down the other and smiled gratefully at the other girl. "Ron, you'll do no such thing. I joined the Quidditch team because I wanted to, and you can't go after Kirke and Sloper just for doing their job. If they weren't hitting the bludgers towards us, you'd be all over them."  
  
Looking to Harry for a bit of help, she nodded when he added, "She's right, Ron. Just last week, you were getting on Sloper's case for NOT hitting it towards Natalie MacDonald cause he was sweet on her, and you got on Kirke's case a month ago for going soft on Vicky Frobisher."  
  
Harry sounded so logical whenever he was trying to calm Ron down. Honestly, why couldn't she have kept that crush on him? He was so much more appropriate than.well.than anyone else in the school. Ron tried to tug his arm free, bringing Ginny back to the problem at hand. Right.focus. "And honestly Ron, if they WEREN'T trying to beat me to death with the bludgers, you'd still be after them, thinking they were sweet on ME! They can't win, so SIT DOWN!!"  
  
With a last little effort, she tugged him back into his seat, grateful that the clueless, overprotective git had decided to lay off for a bit. Lord, if he ever sensed who she really liked.well, Hell's bells, there wouldn't be enough left after the wizard's duel to bury either Ron or Dra-er, her mystery crush.  
  
Great, now she as even trying to lie to herself. As if that would fix the bloody problem. And did she honestly want the problem to just go away? If she wasn't lying to herself, she would admit that even after being caught daydreaming at him, she still sat facing the Slytherin table. It wasn't exactly the brightest idea, but it was one of the few times she was able to see him without Hermione-the-nosy or Ron-the-clueless noticing. Harry, thankfully, sat across from Ron, unable to see exactly where she was staring off at. Or who.  
  
Screeching from above warned her of the imminent arrival of the owl post, and of the imminent danger to her now-cold porridge, and only a quick shove with her wrist saved her breakfast. Not that it was worth saving, she mused as the owl dropped the box in front of her. She recognized Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes official delivery owl, Morcades, and was immediately wary of the small, cutely wrapped package. Absentmindedly giving the owl a bit of a treat and stroking its downy head, she pushed the package into the center of the table with the very tip of her finger.  
  
Luckily, Errol's crashing into Ron's bowl of porridge (even after he had moved it a safe distance) distracted the rest of the Gryffindor table from her dangerous package. She watched quietly and waited patiently for Ron to finish reading the letter from their mum.  
  
Looking up at Ginny, he shrugged. "Mum says we're to stay here over the Christmas holidays. Too dangerous to really go anywhere, and at least here, we'll be with Harry and Hermione."  
  
Ginny gave a nonchalant shrug, while her inner, sarcastic voice was given new material with THAT statement. You mean YOU'LL be with Harry and Hermione. No doubt on your latest efforts to save the Wizarding world from a threat no one else knows about. Yeah-huh. I'll just hang out in the Gryffindor common room. Have fun by myself. Maybe even take a trip to the library. FUN!  
  
Telling her inner voice to hush up, and trying to distract herself from the dismal truth it had spoken, she reached warily for the letter on top of the brightly wrapped box. Opening it slowly (she'd learned her lesson long, long ago in dealing with Fred and George), she found nothing but a letter. Still wary of explosive devices hidden somewhere in the letter, she pulled it out slowly and began reading, aware of the rest of Gryffindor table waiting to find out what had come for Ginny from Weasley's Whizarding Wheezes.  
  
Dear Ginny, In the effort of keeping our summer assistant busy and well paid through the winter, we have sent you the latest merchandise from the store, Mischief Misteltoe. Let us know how it works so we can get it out in time for the holidays! ~Fred and George  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes. There was only a week left before all the students left and holiday shopping was already quite underway. What they hoped to accomplish at this late date. Well, maybe it would work if it was a REALLY good gag. Who knew?  
  
Carefully opening the box, she gave a start when something flew out of it, moving almost as fast as a snitch! It was actually only a twig of mistletoe but it was hovering in the air like a snitch, almost as if it was teasing the students, giving it a quick fleeting glimpse of itself before flying off, up above the tables. After letting the whole school see it, it was out the door, disappearing to who knows where.  
  
"Okay, so it's flying mistletoe. What else does it do, Ginny?" Hermione asked, going into practical sleuth mode.  
  
Ginny groaned and buried her face in her hands. Bloody hell, what had she just let loose? "I have no idea," she admitted, scared to even ponder what else it might do.  
  
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Alrighty then! Hope this Christmas story is making you smile! Happy holidays! The first chapter is up, ready to be read and reviewed. There's a really cute little button, somewhere below this message (hint, hint). *Uses most enticing voice* Hit it and find out what happens!!! *blows kisses to wonderful reviewers*  
  
Anaa basee (thank you very much!!!) to my first reviewers, SpiderSquirrel and Hermione30!!! *Sends out much love to these two inspiring souls* 


	3. Caught!

A/N: Weeeeee, I love Christmas!!  *sings* It's the most….wonderful timmmmmme of the year!!!!  Hope you're enjoying the holidays and this little Christmas quickie so far!!  ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

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Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Two

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She'd been watching him again, this morning at breakfast, Draco mused as he made his way to the dungeons for his last class of the day and of the week, double Potions with those bloody Gryffindors.  It ticked him off to no end that the lets-play-heroes trio had continued with Potions, though they didn't even have to be there.  They could have chosen something else, joined that idiot Longbottom in Herbology.

The door slammed shut behind him as he made his way into the classroom.  He rolled his eyes as he heard his idiot followers, Crabbe and Goyle run into the heavy door as it closed.  Well, he would have rolled them if he had been assured of keeping the dignified Malfoy look while he did it.

Giving Snape a regal, acknowledging nod, he took his seat in the front of the class.  He would have rather been in the back, left alone with his thoughts, but that couldn't happen in Potions.  

He'd watched her face go red, a site he thoroughly enjoyed.  In the earlier years at school, he'd always made an extra effort to pick on her, just to get that little extra rise out of her, to see that reaction, to see her face flush with anger.  Lately though, he'd noticed that just by catching her looking at him, or even better, by watching her, making sure she caught him, he could get the same reaction.  That same lovely flush.  

Draco loved the fact that he had the power to do that to her.  By watching her lately, he knew Potter no longer had that power.  At first, it had been a simple matter of finally besting Potter at something.  Finally winning.  But the more he watched her, the more he remembered, the more he learned.

She had spirit.  That was one thing that continued to draw his eye, even after the thrill of winning had finally worn off, something he'd never thought would happen. The day he tired of secretly lording his victory over everyone else?  Tiring of that?  It should never have happened.  But it had, and he'd started watching her just for HER, not Potter.

He could remember the first time he'd really seen her.  That day in Flourish and Blott's, five years ago, when she'd stood up to the great Draco Malfoy to defend the boy-who-was-merely-lucky-beyond-belief…  That was a day he would never forget.

And it had continued over the years.  She wasn't afraid of him.  Maybe it was the Weasley blood that did it.  But Weasley and Potter avoided him, afraid they'd get into it with him, and then get into trouble.  Bloody do-gooders.  But even Hermione avoided him at times, afraid he'd call her a Mudblood or some silly thing like that.  Honestly, they were just words.  That was one of the things he really liked about the littlest Weasley, not that he would ever admit aloud that he liked ANYTHING about her.  

She gave as good as she got.  He couldn't intimidate her or scare her with a few measly words.  She'd certainly get angry, but she never blew her top, lost her cool like Potter or her idiot older brother.  Ginny Weasley was a worthy adversary for him.  

And the day he thought she'd ever be anything more…  Well, they could send him to Mungo's, that was for sure.  His father had tried to kill the chit, for loud out crying.  It wasn't like anything could ever happen between them. 

No, and he'd best get the idea out of his head.  His attention would be better focused on trying to figure out why his potion had turned a sickly green instead of the royal purple it was supposed to be, before Snape noticed.

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He was leaving dinner when it happened.  He'd noticed of course, that she'd gotten a package from those bloody twin brothers of hers, the ones that had made the end of last year a nightmare with all their pranks.  Along with everyone else in the Great Hall, he'd noticed the flying mistletoe.  He just hadn't paid any attention to it, preoccupied as he was with the person it had been delivered to.

Thankful to finally be away from the oafs who followed him, he wasn't paying any particular attention to where he was walking.  And he certainly didn't notice walking underneath the hovering Mistletoe hanging out in the hallway leading to the Great Hall.

He did, however, notice when he ran into an invisible wall.  "What in the bloody hell?" he cursed, pushing at the wall with his hands.  But nothing happened, and the air in front of him continued to offer resistance.  It almost shimmered in front of him.

A jangling above him finally clued him in.  Looking up, he noticed the mistletoe Ginny had received earlier hanging above him, bells attached to the branches chiming…  It almost seemed like it was laughing at him.

Dammit it all to hell, this was just what he needed.  Gag mistletoe.  He had no idea how those bloody Weasley's had jinxed it, but it was obviously not willing to let him get away. 

Maybe he just had to wait till someone came along and kissed him.  Maybe it would be a cute, harmless gag like that.

Coming from the Weasley's?  He snorted.  Not bloody likely.

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A/N: Well, there's still a few twists about the Mischief Mistletoe to be revealed, but I'm thinking you've figured out the general idea :)  And remember the cute little review button down below.  Chapter Three coming soon!


	4. And along came

A/N: So it's an extremely short chapter, but the next one will be up in twelve hours! Merry Christmas! Having shorter chapters and more updates is like getting more presents, right? Right? Ehhhh.Ch. 4, coming soon. ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame  
  
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!  
  
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Mischief Mistletoe - Chapter Three  
  
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The Great Hall was buzzing with the talk as dinner wound down on Friday night. Ginny finished the last of her meal, waiting patiently for the gossip to make its way to their end of the Gryffindor table. Oddly enough, or maybe not considering who was involved, the Scooby gang had yet to notice that SOMEthing was happening all around them. Probably too busy plotting their next heroic rescue.  
  
Finally, Colin Creevey scooted over next to Ginny to let her in on the news. "You know that mistletoe your brothers sent this morning? It's got Draco trapped outside in the hallway, and won't let him loose, OR let anyone near him! Pansy Parkinson apparently tried to get to him quite a few times, and the mistletoe wouldn't let her near him. It probably also helped that he didn't want her near him! He kept darting as far away as he could get, which was only about five feet."  
  
Ginny's hand had flown up to cover her mouth at the beginning of Colin's tale, at first to cover her shocked gasp, and near the end, to stifle her laughter. "Are you serious?"  
  
Colin nodded vigorously, looking as eager and excited as the first night he met THE Harry Potter. "It's like the ladies of Miss Universe parading around out there, all trying to get in to kiss Draco Malfoy, but the mistletoe has a mind of its own. Literally!"  
  
Ginny nodded absentmindedly as Colin scampered away to tell someone else (after snapping a picture of Ginny's shocked expression). She had managed to hide her shudder at the idea that Fred and George had sent her something with a mind of its own.  
  
In trying to calm herself down, she realized the Mischief Mistletoe couldn't really have a mind of its own. Not only would Fred and George have created something like that, but they wouldn't have sent it to HER to test it, not after her first year. But she couldn't even begin to imagine all the jinxes and hexes and charms the twins must have placed on the Mistletoe to create the apparent havoc that was going on out in the hall.  
  
Ginny stood up to leave, preparing to say goodbye to the Trio, only to realize they'd already left. Dammit anyway. Not that she'd NOTICED they'd left, but they could have taken the time and care to say goodbye.  
  
As she wandered into the hallway, she saw the spectacle Colin had told her about. There must have been twenty girls crowded around Draco and the Mistletoe, all from different houses. Ginny even thought she caught a glimpse of Natalie MacDonald in the crush, her Quidditch teammate.  
  
Trying to brush past the crowd of teenies trying to break into the protective circle of the Mistletoe, Ginny was jostled to the side. Rolling her eyes, she tried to continue on her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
And realized that she wasn't able to go anywhere.  
  
"Oh bloody Hell, you have got to be kidding me. Don't tell me you're so desperate for a gent that you called on your brothers to help you?"  
  
As she heard the sarcastic comment behind her, coming from that horribly, bloody awful-and somehow she found it incredibly sexy-voice, Ginny realized what was going on. She banged her head against the invisible wall she was trapped in. Dammit all to Hell.  
  
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A/N: Yippee! So we're just getting to the fun part-sorry it's so short, but I'm gonna be writing Chapter 4 in another twelve hours, so check back soon for updates! I'm hoping to finish this story within the next two days.it being a Christmas story, I've got a deadline! :) Remember that review button! 


	5. Five feetfun

A/N: Okay, so it was more like 16 hours.sorry about that. When you live in Alaska, and it's 40 degrees below zero, the propane freezes, and the clothes don't dry, and the car won't start.Yeah.it's been a long morning so far. *sigh* Well, I will hopefully get the next chapter up in a few more hours. ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame  
  
Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!  
  
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Mischief Mistletoe - Chapter Four  
  
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The Mischief Mistletoe dragged them into yet another empty classroom. Ginny glared at the damn thing. If she had been just a little bit taller. (well, okay, if she had been a whole heck of a lot taller.she hated being short!) she would have shaken that damn Mistletoe to within an inch of its life.  
  
And now she was thinking about killing objects that weren't alive to begin with.great. This showed just how long the Mistletoe had been controlling them. All Ginny wanted to do was to go to sleep! But no, she had been stuck within a five-foot diameter invisible circle for seven freaking hours with none other than Draco Malfoy, thanks to a psycho branch of mistletoe and her idiot brothers!  
  
"That twig has been charmed to avoid Filch and Mrs. Norris, hasn't it?" Malfoy asked, sneering at her from across their circle.  
  
If it had been anyone other than Dra-er, Malfoy, Ginny would have sworn that his voice held a touch of wonder. But Malfoy certainly wouldn't be admiring her brother's handiwork, would he? "These are my brothers we're talking about, what do you think?" Ginny answered sarcastically.  
  
"Don't suppose you know that spell," Draco said, in his normal, bored tone of voice.  
  
Ginny could only stare at him. Was this really happening?? First off, she and Draco hadn't spoken a word to each other since she had fallen into the circle seven hours ago. Second.even in that tone, with no hint of a question, she would almost SWEAR Draco was asking her for magical advice.  
  
Oh damn, had she just called him Draco??  
  
"Of course I know it," Ginny answered. She could only wish to achieve that same tone of his, but knew she hadn't. The next best thing would be for him to actually ASK her for the charm.yeah, she could live with Draco asking her for magical help. And YES, she answered her inner sarcastic voice, which was just dying to speak up, she HAD just called him Draco.  
  
Silence followed. Damn, so maybe he wouldn't ask. Well, it had been a nice thought.for all that it had lasted.  
  
Ginny stared at the cold cement floor, contemplating the amount of sleep she might achieve if she just crashed out there. Probably zilch to none.  
  
"So.it's now two o'clock in the morning." Draco said, looking at the gold glint of his watch. Probably a Rolex, Ginny thought as she turned to face him, to see where he was going with this statement.  
  
Again.silence. Okay, so Draco wasn't going to suggest the inevitable. That was fine with her! Neither would she, then. She could just hear the rumors floating around Hogwarts if she did. Draco telling everyone that she'd either attacked him or begged him to snog her.  
  
Suddenly the floor looked a lot more appealing.  
  
Completely ignoring Draco, she lay down on the cold cement floor, and turned away from him. She heard clothes rustling behind her, and assumed he had done the same, on his side of the five feet.  
  
She shivered with cold on the stone (damn drafty castle!) and contemplated asking Draco to lend her his robes for all of half a second. Then, the inner sarcastic voice filled her in on his exact response. "What, and waste a perfectly good, expensive robe because I'd have to burn it afterwards?"  
  
Of course, she knew his exact response because she'd turned a hallway corner and run into him once. She hadn't been watching where she was going, her nose buried in a romance novel, and his head had been turned, talking to those oafs who followed him. And those had been his exact words.  
  
Then again, her response hadn't been half bad either. She remembered saying something about how he would burn them in the stupid hopes that the flames would give off enough of a glow for him to get a tan, so he wouldn't look like he'd just crawled out of a coffin.  
  
Great, she could remember his exact words, his tone, his sneer (well, that was hard to forget-it was his trademark expression). But she couldn't manage to remember her own words? Probably because the blood had been rushing to her face so fast, she hadn't been able to hear anything else.  
  
But hey, the idea of running into her crush, her front pressed against his surprisingly muscled chest, his hands encircling her upper arms to keep her from falling backwards.well, before he'd realized exactly who he was holding and had dropped her on her ass like a hot potato.  
  
UGH! Why did she like him so much? He treated her and her whole family like lepers. He was always getting into it with the Trio.although why she should care so much, she didn't know. Lord knew, they were too busy with their Scooby mystery business to ever come to her defense. And why Draco's words managed to bother them so much, she didn't know.they were just words.  
  
He was always insulting her too. But unlike Ron, who sputtered angrily, or Harry, who reached for his wand, or Hermione, who cried or waited for Ron or Harry to defend her, Ginny could stand up for herself. She didn't take Draco's words so personally.maybe because he used the same insults for both Ron and her, and she realized that. Or maybe because she knew it was just Draco's own little defense mechanism, because he was unable to deal with other people on a normal level, having never had a proper example in his own home.  
  
God, did she like him just because she felt sorry for him!?  
  
No, of course not. How could she feel sorry for a git like him? Sure, he had to have had a horrible home life.his mother was cold bitch with ice for a heart and his father was a murdering death eater who had tried to kill her. And yes, he might not even know HOW to like or love someone else.  
  
But that wasn't why she liked him. It wasn't why she kept staring at him at breakfast, or when she passed him in the hallways. It wasn't why she had dreams about him, or why she snuck up to the library on the pretense of studying for her OWLs when she knew he'd be there.  
  
It was that glimpse of light she'd catch in his eyes every once in awhile, when no one else but her was watching him. It was that little look he would give her when HE knew no one else was watching. That look that would bring a blush to her face, that secret smile that played around his mouth when he knew he'd made her blush.  
  
And half of it was the way he could manage to rile people, the way he pushed people's buttons, the way he knew exactly what bothered each and every Hogwarts student. It was the same thing she did, after having grown up, watching her own back against six brothers, and giving as good as she got with insults. The same way she could watch people quietly, without them knowing they were being observed, and notice the little things that bothered them.  
  
And it was the dreams she had at night, after knowing these little things about him. Dreams that said if he really were her boyfriend, he would never forget a single thing she'd ever told him. The way he'd know exactly what she wanted for her birthday. The way he'd know when she needed to be held, when she needed to get into a fight just to blow off steam, when she needed to talk, and hell, even what she needed to talk about.  
  
Damn those dreams anyway. If she had any tonight.well, she could only hope she didn't talk in her sleep.  
  
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Ginny awakened groggily on Saturday morning, a mumble of Latin following her out of her dreams and into her half awake state. Rolling over, she pushed the red hair that had tangled around her head out of her face and stared through bleary eyes at a wide-awake Draco.  
  
He was sitting back against the invisible wall, lazily tossing spells up at the Mistletoe with his wand.  
  
"Nothing yet?" Ginny asked sarcastically, sitting up across from him and copying his movements, leaning against the wall. She knew nothing would get past her brothers' spells. They didn't run the best joke shop in the Wizarding world for nothing.  
  
"I'm just practicing for Flit's class," Draco answered. Even his voice sounded lazy.  
  
Lord, it brought images to her mind that didn't need to be there. Images of Draco in the morning, what he'd be like if they were waking up in a bed instead of on the cold floor of a castle classroom. They way he'd give lazy, relaxed morning kisses, make slow, lazy, relaxing.  
  
OKAY! Enough of Hermione's romance novels for her! Ginny smiled, the way she always did when she thought of practical, know-it-all Hermione sneaking muggle romance novels into school and sharing them among the Gryffindor girls.  
  
"Hmmm, somebody knows a secret. Don't tell me you've been hiding the antidote to this twig somewhere in that little brain of yours, keeping me locked in this circle so you could take advantage of me?"  
  
Ginny gave him a fake, sarcastic half smile, half sneer. It was Draco's tone though, that kept her from retaliating with words. It wasn't his hostile, attack-tone. It was just a lazy, sarcastic, joking tone.  
  
There was such a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom right then, that she actually contemplated telling Draco the real secret she had been thinking about.  
  
For about half a second. Until she remembered, relaxed or not, this was still Draco. And if he used it against Hermione, Ron would find out, he would find out where Draco had heard it from, it would get back to him that they'd spent the night alone together.  
  
Not that anything had happened. Hell's bells, if it had, they wouldn't have been stuck all night in the first place.  
  
"Well, it's a good thing you're finally awake. I have to pee," Draco said.  
  
Ginny groaned. Last night, when this had happened, the Mistletoe had brought them to the Prefect's bathroom and she'd had to stand outside the damn stall (after first insisting he even USE the stall), and he'd had to do the same for her. She could have sworn that the jingling Mistletoe was laughing at them.  
  
Damn Mistletoe anyway. When she got out of this, she was going to kill her brothers.  
  
But first, in order to get out of this, one of their stubborn natures was going to have to give in. And she could tell Draco right now, it wasn't going to be her begging for a kiss!!  
  
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A/N: Whoo hoo! A loooong, chappie! So, the next one should be up tonight, written in between dress rehearsal and the actual Christmas pageant. Enjoy this chapter and I hope your waiting eagerly for the next one! (Hell, I know I am!!) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!  
  
Anaa basee to my wonderful reviewers so far! InfiniteMoment, rose petel, H.S., santapaws, SilverRedDragon, LiTtLe-bLaCk-sTaR, Cianna Greenwood, lilazndreamergrl, Peachula, JB-LIRIMAER, Noire1, Hplova4eva, SpiderSquirrel, Cybeleflame, Fairy-Queen770, Ehlonna, afourleafclover, green_witch39, Angel Black1, Jenalla, SamiJo, Eliza Starr, and PossesedRoguey!!! 


	6. The Unexpected

A/N: Oops, a whole day without an update.  *Hides head in shame* What can I say?  My mom got me the new book by my favorite author.  I SOOO didn't want to finish it.  It was so good, I was reading every sentence twice, just to make sure I didn't miss anything.  *Sigh* That's the kind of author I want to be one day. Well, merry late Christmas everyone and prepare for a Happy New Year! ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

**********

Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Five

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They were now going on forty hours.  It was early Sunday afternoon and they were _still_ stuck in the damn Mistletoe's circle.  Draco was getting ready to give in and be the one to break their stubborn streaks.  He was almost to that point.

Almost.

Didn't mean he would actually do anything.  Nope.  Although the boredom was going to drive him crazy.  He'd already missed one Quidditch practice and three meals because Ginny refused to go into the dining hall with him.

Hell, the Mistletoe had even tried to drag them there, but Ginny had grabbed onto the door and refused to let go.  Honestly, the sight of her hanging onto the heavy wooden door for dear life, sideways in the air…well, it had almost been enough to bring a smile to his face.

Almost.

Instead, he had kept the bored sneer in place as was proper for a Malfoy.  Things would be bad enough when his father found out he had spent the weekend trapped with the littlest Weasley.  No need for him to ever hear ANYTHING about smiling.

It simply wouldn't do for him to find out anything.  Unfortunately, there was no doubt that this little tidbit would leak out eventually.  Though Ginny had tried her damndest to keep it a secret, they had to eat eventually, and neither of them was giving in…

Draco contemplated trying to drag her to lunch.  They would just catch the end of it.  Though he knew he would fail, it would be worth it just to see her hanging in the air again.  
Oh bloody hell, had he really just admitted to knowing he would fail and wanting to do it anyway?  Had he just admitted that something was worth failing for?

He sneered to himself, wishing the Malfoy sneer could erase his thoughts.  Nothing was safe when it came to father, and if his father found out…

Bloody HELL!  When was he going to stop being afraid of his father??  Lucius had been in hiding since the Azkaban raid in August.  Draco hadn't even _seen_ his father in almost a year, and he was still terrified of him.  

And he really didn't want to think about this now.  He REALLY didn't want to think about this now.

Which was why he didn't have his usual guard up when Ginny spoke up out of the blue,  "Why do you always sneer?  Doesn't your face know any other expression, or is it actually frozen like that.  You know, like when you're little and your mom tells you if you keep making that face, it's going to freeze like that?  Is that what happened?"

With his guard down, he actually couldn't help himself.  He couldn't stop it.  He burst out laughing.  It came out sounding kind of rough, and hoarse, as though it hadn't been used in years.  Which it hadn't.

Ginny smiled at the sound, and that smile…well, it was enough to keep him from putting the guard right back up.  Which was why he answered truthfully.  "No, it didn't get stuck like that.  I tried smiling once as a kid, and realized that it was crooked.  My mom told me it was always going to be crooked.  Since having an imperfect son wasn't an option, she told me that if I sneer instead of smile, no one would ever notice."

Her mouth was gaping open.  Maybe he shouldn't have been SO honest.  Then she started laughing, and he couldn't help smiling back at her.  When she finally stopped laughing, he was still smiling, so he could understand her next words: "It really _is_ crooked."

He kept his crooked smile in place, for the first time in his life unselfconscious about it.  "Told you so."

Silence reigned again, but it wasn't the same waiting-for-someone-to-give-in silence as before.  This was a whole hell of a lot more comfortable.

Unfortunately, it also let his thoughts wander back to their previous area—his dreaded, damn blasted father.  As much as he just _might_ be beginning to actually LIKE the situation they found themselves in…they really did have to get out of their before word got to Lucius.  Or to Ron.  

"So…" he began, hoping Ginny was psychic.  He really didn't want to be the one to admit fear of discovery.

Luckily for him, or maybe unluckily seeing as how he wasn't going to be stuck with her anymore, she did seem to read his mind.

She stood up and he followed suit, resisting the urge to dig into the stone floor with the toe of his shoe in a nervous gesture.  "Well, I promise not to tell anyone about your crooked smile, and the fact that you actually CAN laugh, if you promise not to tell anyone that I made the first move…"

Draco was about to ask, "What move?" when Ginny crossed the five feet separating them in a few steps.  

**********

A/N: Yes, I know, evil cliffhanger :)  Check back soon!


	7. The Morning After

A/N: Oops…yeah, that was a bit of a bigger break than I intended.  My school has this stupid schedule where we take finals AFTER Christmas…not sure which sadist thought that one up.  But that's why there have been few…okay, no updates post-Christmas.  Sorry ya'll.  Hope you enjoy this one! ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

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Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Six

**********

Ginny didn't want to drag herself out of bed come Monday morning.  Part of it was the fact that she had actually been able to sleep IN a bed for the first night since Thursday.  

And the other part was Draco.

Dammit all to hell.  She hadn't seen him since their escape from the Mistletoe.  After the kiss had ended…finally…she had fled the classroom they'd been holed up in and made a run for the Gryffindor Common Room.

Her stomach's trying to eat itself had tempted her to go down to dinner, but instead, she had stolen into Ron's room after the Trio had left, and stole a bunch of his junk food.  And now her stomach was reminding her that junk food did not a meal make.  

Okay.  So.  Right.  Breakfast.  She could handle that, she thought as she dragged herself to the shower.  She could handle having breakfast across the Great Hall from him.  She could handle seeing him for the first time since that kiss.

Oh Lord, that kiss!

Hermione had a habit of playing American Country music when she thought no one was around (honestly, the girl was a little TOO sensitive about trying to hide her muggle tendencies…too worried about not appearing as the Super Witch everyone thought her to be).  Anyway, at that moment, Ginny could fully sympathize with Faith Hill and being able to write a whole song about a single kiss.

Who would have thought that the son of a murdering death eater and an ice cold bitch would be able to kiss that hot?!

Well, okay, Ginny had to admit that she had thought about it on more than one occasion.  But honestly, the daydreams couldn't hold a candle to reality…

She had made the first move.  She had approached him.  She had placed her hands ever so gently, and slowly, on his shoulders.  She had been the one to tiptoe.  She had been the one to close her eyes and initiate the kiss.

But oh boy, had he taken over after that.  The kiss had turned hot and wild in all of the two seconds it had taken him to take control.  She should have known he'd be a control freak, even when it came to kissing!

But day-um, was she ever willing to let him take control when he could kiss like that!

Ginny had no idea how long it lasted.  Long enough to provide materials for her daydreams for the rest of her life.  And somehow, not nearly long enough.  Not when it had ended, and she had freaked out and ran like hell was on her tail.

Why oh why had she run??  If she had stayed…maybe they could have continued talking.  Maybe more could have come out of it than a single kiss.

But that damn Mistletoe had jangled, as if to tell them that their time was up, and then it had swooped out the classroom window, off to trap some other unsuspecting students.

And now she had to go down to breakfast…and possibly come face to face with Draco.

If only it was face ON face…

**********

The Idiot Weasley had been waiting for him outside the Great Hall before breakfast (Idiot, not the Littlest…unfortunately).  He had skipped dinner the night before, after the huge fuss that had been made upon his return to the Slytherin dungeon, not wanting to deal with all the damn nosy students in this school.

Of course, if he had known that the Littlest skipped too, and that it just added fuel to the fire…

Well, Idiot Weasley had been fairly easy to deal with.  A few choice comments (provocative, to say the least).  A little clash of wands.  A detention for the both of them.  Nothing new.

What was new was that little, niggling feeling that was eating away at his stomach all through breakfast.  He had starved himself all weekend because SHE had been too paranoid about the two of them going to a meal, and now he STILL couldn't eat because of her!

"You eatin' that?" the grunt of a question next to him was dealt with as it usually was, with an absentminded shove of whatever food one of the oafs was asking for.

Of course he wasn't going to eat that.  He COULDN'T eat that.  Damn his stomach anyway…If he didn't KNOW he was incapable of the feeling, he would almost think it was guilt.

But what did he have to feel guilty for?  Just because he had said a few things to her brother that weren't exactly true?  Just because he knew that others in the school had heard what he'd told Idiot Weasley?

And it wasn't like it had been all THAT bad…a simple comment about how her voice sounded when it was begging for more.  A simple comment about sampling her charms, but seeing as how they _were a Weasley's, he'd pass on the full meal.  A little comment about how she'd practically jumped him._

Right, he told himself.  No biggie.

He tried to be inconspicuous as he buried his face in his hands.  Lord, he actually felt BAD about being the git he was known for being!  And it was all because of her!


	8. The Lonely Corridor

A/N: Okay, I felt bad about the lack of updates, so I didn't get up from my computer in between typing Chapter six and seven :)  Also, I'm leaving in an hour for a cruise…ahhh, to get away from all this blasted ice!  Anyway, enjoy this chapter and I hope it lasts you until next week!

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

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Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Seven

**********

"So, Ginny, how was your weekend?"

Ginny would have thought Hermione was honestly as clueless as the question appeared if her voice hadn't squeaked on the word "Ginny."  She rolled her eyes, and decided to be grateful for small favors, like the fact that Ron and Harry were nowhere to be seen at breakfast.  "It was nice and relaxing.  What'd you do this weekend?"

Okay, so Ginny knew that her absence couldn't exactly have gone unnoticed.  But she had harbored a very itty-bitty, teeny-tiny hope that she could pass it off as a weekend spent studying in the library or an empty classroom.  She DID have OWLs this year, after all.

But no, Luck decided not to be on her side.  Dammit all to hell.

Ginny was in Double Charms with Slytherin when she realized how exactly how bad it could be, once Luck decided to desert someone.

"So Weasley, I hear you like to beg for more…"

The snide comment came from some idiotic Slytherin whose name, after six years in the same school, Ginny didn't even know.  Not that it mattered.

As Ginny found out the rest of the day, and on into the next few, she had been right when she'd resisted initiating the inevitable kiss on Friday and Saturday because she had known that Draco would spread all kind of nasty rumors about her.  

He had.

Ginny didn't know why that hurt so much.  Honestly, the fact that Ron wasn't even SPEAKING to her ought to hurt more than something she _expected_ from a Slytherin git.

So, why wasn't that the major cause of her pain?  She KNEW Draco would be a git about their being stuck together for the weekend.  Hell, he could have made the first move, and he'd _still_ be talking about her like this.

Ginny would tell herself this over the few days that followed their weekend, and she would have almost reached that point of actually believing that what he'd said didn't matter…and then she'd remember his smile.  She'd remember how he actually laughed in front of her.  And it would start hurting all over again.

So, knowing all this, she should have hexed him into the next millennium when she ran into him in an empty corridor on Thursday afternoon.

She should have.  And yet…all she could do was stare at him.  Lord, he was so…cute wasn't even the right word.  He was back to sneering, an expression that wasn't exactly endearing and attractive.

But his expression changed when he realized who he'd run into.  When he realized whose arms he'd grabbed onto to keep her from toppling over.  When he realized who was pressed up against his chest in a position that shouldn't have been familiar, but it was. 

It softened, and Ginny couldn't even muster up a good hex, which she was well-known for doing, when he finally spoke to her, for the first time since their leaving the classroom.  Maybe because all he said was her name, "Ginny."

His voice…she knew he would hate it if she ever described it as soft.  But the deep, sexy way he said her name…it still managed to have a softness to it, something that no one would have ever connected to Draco.  Or that he would have let someone connect to him.

"Draco."  Her voice was guarded; she might have been dreaming every night about being back in his arms, but she was still wary after the taunts that had been following her all week.  She managed to ignore them, and didn't even really care about the teasing, seeing as how only Slytherin idiots actually believed Draco's rumors.  Well, Slytherin idiots and her brother…that idiot.  But it still hurt that Draco had said them to begin with, no matter how many times she told herself that it shouldn't hurt.

Her wary answer apparently brought Draco back to reality, to their position.  He slowly released her arms and stepped back…his hands gliding down her arms, almost in a caress, as he put some space between them.

"So…" Draco began.  Ginny would have sworn he was nervous, had he been anyone else.  She half expected him to start rocking back and forth on his heels and whistling as he looked about their lonely stone corridor.  But this was Draco…of course he wasn't nervous.  "You hear from your brothers since you got their gift?  They tell you anything more about it?"

"Yeah.  They owled me.  Asked me how their test run had gone.  Said the Mistletoe's main purpose was to…well, they asked me if all had gone as expected."  Lord, Ginny wanted to slap herself and call herself ten different kinds of idiot.  She had almost spouted out the reining charm on that damn, sorry excuse for a twig.  A charm that she could only hope Draco never heard about.

"And what did you tell them?"

Ginny leaned against the wall, trying to be casual.  Draco followed suit.  Lord, if it had been anyone but the two of them, Ginny would have sworn they were in a muggle teen show, a couple leaning casually against their lockers as they talked.

"Well…I _am their assistant during the summer.  I DO get paid for helping make great products.  It does benefit me to help them develop the best possible gags for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes."_

"You're going somewhere with this, right?" Draco asked, his sneer replaced by a smile, as though they joked like this on a regular basis.  As if.  

_Don't get caught up in the problems with the moment, Ginny!  Just go with it!_

For once, she liked her inner voice.  She grinned back at him.  "Well, I told them that it most definitely worked.  And that they should go ahead for the Christmas market."

"Wow…I'm surprised you didn't tell them to send that deranged twig straight to hell.  Although, I guess that was what the long explanation was for, about the best thing for the business."

Oh Lord, when he smiled at her like that…  It was just like in her dreams, when she imagined what it would be like if they ever actually got together.  When she thought about how good it could be between them.

Apparently Draco became uncomfortable with the silence.  He started fiddling with the front of his robe, his smile faded, and he broke the eye connection.  Ginny could only watch and wonder as he actually scuffed his toe against the stone floor.  Just like in the classroom.  Right before she had "attacked" him.

"Uh, Ginny…"

That was as far as he got.  Ginny kept waiting for the rest of what he was going to say, only he never said anything else.  Finally, she prompted him.  "Yes?"

"About all those things I said to your brother…I'msorryaboutsayingthatstuff."

Ginny actually had to lean closer to hear him.  She caught the fact that he had apologized, and she was pretty sure it was a first for him, but it was the beginning of the statement that caught her attention.  "Okay, putting aside that that was probably the first apology of your life…  Did you just say that those things you said—they were all to my brother?!"

Draco finally made eye contact again.  "Um, yeah, didn't he tell you?"

"Yeah—NO!  I had to hear about all that crap you made up about me from everyone else…well, from Slytherin-everyone-elses.  I thought you had said all that stuff to them…you know, to increase your already enlarged ego," Ginny finished with a smile.  Damn, but she suddenly felt so much better.  She had thought he was just being his nasty little git self to all those Slytherin idiots!

"Wait, why are you smiling?  You did hear about everything I said, right?"

"Oh please, Draco.  I'll admit to being upset when I heard them, because I thought you'd said them to be a nasty little git.  You know, purposely spreading rumors.  If I'd known you said them to my brother…hell's bells, you two always say things to each other to get a rise.  I wouldn't have expected anything less."

"Wait…can we back up for a second?"  The poor boy looked so confused.  It was cute.  Ginny had to smile.  "So…you're not mad.  You're not pissed because I told your brother all that stuff.  You rather…expected it?"

Ginny grinned at him as she walked past him, patting him on the shoulder.  Maybe, if she could leave at this exact moment, while he was still confused…  Well, maybe he would spend the rest of the day thinking about her.  Trying to figure her out.  It was sure as hell worth a shot!

She was all the way down the corridor, and she could tell he was still standing in the exact same spot by the lack of hearing a second pair of steps, when he called out, "So, Ginny, what exactly was the purpose of the Mistletoe?"

**********

A/N: Anaa basee to all of you awesome reviewers!!  PossesesRoguey, Peachula, Cybeleflame, rose petel, xi-swt-tearz-ix, lavieenrose78, evilryokojesseandfiend, Eddla, OCTFD, Ehlonna, Bunny / Sailer Moon, keeping-the-moon, Hplova4eva, RaeJenInc.2, SpiderSquirrel, bigreader, Jenalla, unperfection, Noire1, Ark, and pixieleech!

And no worries, I WILL eventually finish this story.  AFTER I get back from MIAMI!!!! :)


	9. Stalking Needed

A/N: Whoo hoo, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack! ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

**********

Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Eight

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Draco believed he finally had the secret to the Mistletoe figured out—the reining charm on the damn twig.  As far as he could tell, its main purpose was to create scandals.

He and Ginny weren't the only odd couple to be found underneath the Mistletoe.  That, at least, relieved the worry about his father finding out.  There seemed to be an unspoken agreement among the Hogwarts students to keep the Mistletoe scandals within the school.  

At least, the two mouths he most had to worry about telling tales had been rather…occupied over the last few days since he'd talked to Ginny, to say the least.  The only two people in Slytherin that he might actually label as friends had also been caught by the Mistletoe.  Although, the phrase, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, might more aptly describe their "friendship."  He was friends of a sort with Pansy and Blaise, but didn't trust either of them as far as he could throw them. 

Which was why he was relieved that both of them had been trapped underneath the Mistletoe, though not together.  That, of course, wouldn't cause enough of a scandal to keep their mouths shut.  It was who they had been caught with.  Which had led Draco to his first inklings that the Mistletoe had been created for scandal.  Pansy had been stuck in the Mistletoe for a full night with a Hufflepuff 4th year boy.  And Blaise…well, he had gotten stuck with Colin.

Which was another reason the Mistletoe scandals were being kept within the school.  Among the students there seemed to be a school-wide fear of being caught by the Mistletoe.  And at the same time, a school-wide excitement.

Draco shook his head as he walked towards his Double Potions class.  It wasn't at all surprising anymore to open a closet somewhere within Hogwarts only to have the twig of Mistletoe come darting at you and to find two students snogging each other senseless, neither of them having noticed the opening of the door, nor the escape of the Mistletoe.

As Draco readied his cauldron and the ingredients he would need for the day's potion, he couldn't help but wish the damn Mistletoe would come and find him and Ginny again.  Hell, he half contemplated stalking the blasted twig.  From what he could tell by the last experience, only Ginny would be allowed near him.

He spent most of his last class of the term figuring out how to go about tracking down the charmed piece of firewood.  Of the charming piece of firewood.  He was finding himself rather indebted to it.  One, it had brought him and Ginny together, a step that neither one of them would have taken, though it seems they had both wanted it.  Or at least he hadn't minded.  Based on his and Ginny's post-Mistletoe interaction, he assumed Ginny hadn't exactly minded either.  

Which was why he now contemplated how to find the Mistletoe.  

Being alone in the Slytherin Common Room allowed ample time for thought, he mused as he sat in one of the comfortable green leather loungers.  It was nearing dinner time in the Great Hall and pretty much everyone had left for the winter holidays.  Word around the school was that it wasn't safe for Ginny or the Scooby Gang to travel home for the holidays which meant they were some of the few students left in the school.  For a good two weeks.  Making sure no one was around to see him, Draco smiled.

**********

It was Christmas Eve and Ginny was frustrated as all hell.  They had been stuck at the school, practically alone for almost a week now, and she still had yet to find any time to talk to Draco alone.  The only time she knew she would run into him, Ron seemed to standing guard over her.  And if it wasn't Ron, it was Harry, or God forbid, Hermione.  She had hoped to talk some sense into her two lesser watch dogs, only there was no sense to be had when it came to the name of Malfoy.  The trio seemed to believe that the Mistletoe had deranged her brain or something.  They wouldn't even let her _try_ to convince them that Draco might not be the spawn of Satan.  Satan's right hand man maybe, but still not the spawn of Satan.

Ginny had tried everything to run into him aside from meals in the Great Hall where she was always under watchful eyes.  She had stalked every goddamned empty, desolate corridor in the freaking school, and had yet to run into Draco.  Even on innocent trips to the library (accompanied, of course, by Hermione), she couldn't seem to find a chance to talk to him alone.

If it weren't for their eye contact across the Great Hall, Ginny would have believed her traversing cold and lonely corridors to be in vain.  But she KNEW that he wanted to talk to her.  Their unspoken communication in the Great Hall revealed that much.  It was just a matter of escaping watchful eyes and finding her chance.

The chance came late on Christmas Eve.  Shockingly enough, the entire trio accompanied her to the library this time, though she suspected their reasoning had more to do with their latest Scooby plot than her.  Her suspicions proved correct when they kept ducking away, two at a time, and coming back with loads of books, none of whose titles she was allowed to see.

Whatever they were planning, and she honestly didn't care anymore as long as it continued to keep them distracted, they hit a break after being in the library for two hours.  So excited were they, the three of them dashed off to either have a private conference or to search the stacks of books for something to do with their lead, and she was finally left alone.

There was no way in hell she was going to waste this chance.  Gathering her books together as quickly as she could, she almost groaned in disappointment when Hermione came almost immediately back to the table the four of them had been studying at.  Seeing as her nose was so buried in the book, it could have been attached (and when it came to Hermione and her books, who knew), Ginny took a chance.  "Hey Hermione, I'm gonna head back to the Common Room."

"Uh huh," was Hermione's noncommittal answer.

"I left some books there that I need to write the Potions essay that Snape assigned for the Holidays."

"Uh huh."

"I think he wants us to create a holiday love potion," Ginny stated, grinning and beginning to enjoy this game.

"Okay."

"And on the way, I'm gonna run off with the Spawn of Satan and create grandchildren for the dark lord."

"Have fun."

Ginny contemplated pressing her luck, but the chance to talk with Draco was too great to waste by tormenting Hermione.  With any luck, Hermione might remember what she had just endorsed…after Ginny was long gone, of course.

Now it became a matter of where to find Draco.  There had been times since the rest of the students left that he would be in the library at the same time as she, but the glares from Hermione and the unspoken threat of summoning Ron kept him at bay.  Why he cared if Harry or Hermione ran to Ron, Ginny didn't have a clue.  She thought it might have something to do with not wanting to upset her by getting into it with her brother, based on the way he had actually felt _guilty_ after saying that stuff about her.  Then again, that may have been only wishful thinking on her part.

How did one go about finding the Spawn of Satan's Right Hand Man, anyway?  Ginny contemplated the question while trying not to giggle over her revised version of Ron's belief about Draco's parentage.  Did one go about looking under slimy rocks?  Was she supposed to wander about the dungeons until she accidentally came across the Slytherin Common Room?  She hoped not—the dungeons gave her the chills, and it had little to do with the damned drafty nature of the castle.

Ginny was wandering down the hallway where she had last run into him, almost a week ago now and had left him confused and questioning, when she finally came across him.  Or stumbled across him.

The stupid git was actually sitting on the floor, studying, in the middle of the damn hallway!  It was his own blasted fault that Ginny had rounded the corner, tripped over him, and sent them both sprawling onto the stone floor.  Well, he fell backward onto the hard stone.  She was lucky enough to land on the hard muscle of his chest.

Ginny took a deep breath.  Lucky indeed.  Ginny wondered what Draco would say if he could read her thoughts at the moment, how she contemplated pushing his robes out of the way so she could see his spectacular naked chest in all its glory.  Pale glory, but hey, still glory!

Draco was the one who came to his senses first.  "Enough eye candy to last you there for awhile?" Draco asked.  Asked in his usual ego-boosting mode, Ginny still couldn't find offense in it, seeing as how he had left out the sneer and disdain.  

She smiled at him.

And obviously, she still had yet to come to her senses… "It's enough, but I wouldn't mind having a bit more.  Well, a lot more."

Ginny's eyes widened, and the fact that she had just said THAT to him was enough to bring her back to the present and to the fact that one simply did not run around talking about Draco as eye candy.  Well, to his face.  It just wasn't done.  Whispered about in the girls dormitories, yes, but his ego was big enough without it being said to his face!

Scrambling to her feet, she could feel her face flushing like there was no tomorrow.  She tried to think of a way to do some damage control, but came up empty.  "Bloody hell."

Draco also stood, brushing off his robes.  Thankfully, this time it was from the dust on the stone floor, and not from his having touched a Weasley.  Ginny smiled at the change.  Yay, the Spawn of Satan's Right Hand Man COULD change!  This was good news indeed, considering what she had wanted to say to him for a week now.

And before she could lose her courage, and before he said something in that oh-so-sexy voice, she blurted it out, "DoyouwannacometotheGryffindorCommonRoomforChristmasEve?"

Ginny cringed, hearing the jumble of words rush from her mouth and from Draco's replying expression.  Resisting the urge to check if she had just sprouted Devil's Snare from her ears and nose, which was how he was looking at her, she smiled at him.  Well, she hoped it was a smile, and not the desperate, I'm-so-embarrassed grimace it felt like to her.

"Have you been sniffing Potions again?"  He was looking at her suspiciously, as though he really did believe that to be the cause of her invitation.

Ginny blinked.  Then smiled.  At least he hadn't tried to commit her to Mungo's or flat out refused.  This was a good thing, right?  Which is how she found the courage to add, "And for Christmas Day?  The Trio from hell and I are planning on a Christmas Eve slumber-party-like deal in the Common Room tonight, so we can all open presents in the morning."

Based on Draco's expression, she might just have invited him to dine in hell with Voldemort.  But she had worked too hard and long to get him alone, and had worked too hard on gathering the courage to invite him in the first place, for this to fail.  And worked too hard on a backup plan, should he refuse.

Which he did.  "You're bloody mad, you know, if you think I might actually agree to spend Christmas with those blasted do-gooders.  You, I can tolerate, and I'll admit to that.  But me, spending Christmas with the Boy Who Is Merely Lucky Beyond Belief and his faithful following puppies is too much to expect."  He gave her a disbelieving look, as though fearing she may have actually gone mad, when he finished with, "It has a snowball's chance in hell of actually happening."

Ginny smiled.  "Aw, did you just admit to being able to tolerate me, a slimy, little, disgusting Weasley."  She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, continuing to smile, of which he continued to be wary.  As well he should.  She _was_ Fred and George Weasley's little sister, wasn't she?

"And Draco, I think hell just froze over."  With that little piece of warning, she released the Mischief Mistletoe from her bookbag.

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A/N: Hopefully, it won't be too long of a wait to see what Ginny's got up her sleeve—or in her bookbag, whatever!  Enjoy this chapter :) ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame


	10. Ashes By Now

A/N: Weeeee, we're nearing the end of the road!  Mischief Mistletoe is headed towards an epilogue, and I thank you all for coming along for the ride :) ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

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Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Nine

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This time it was Draco who was hanging sideways in midair.  If Ginny hadn't been so desperate to actually get him to her common room, she would have fallen down on the ground at this point, so hard was she trying to keep her laughter in and her goal in sight.

But right now, she had to focus…right…focus.  She was on the verge of snorting, her laughter having been stifled as long as possible.  Honestly, Draco looked so funny hanging sideways.  It was a wonder he hadn't died of laughter when she had pulled the grab-onto-the-door-for-dear-life trick over the weekend they'd been stuck together.  But his stomach had been grumbling so loudly by that point, he might have laughed and she just hadn't heard it.

"Draco, if you force me, I WILL take that door with us to the Gryffindor Common Room.  Don't think I won't.  Now, be a good boy and let go of the blasted door!"

"You're off your bloody rocker!  I'd commit you to St. Mungo's, but I'm afraid they won't believe you're actually insane enough to try to drag me to the GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM, of all places, and they might keep me there instead!"

Ginny couldn't hold back the giggle.  Deciding not to have this conversation with his feet, she moved towards his head.  The tension from the magical Mistletoe slowly eased the closer she got to him.  She tilted her head to the side so as to be on an even plane with him; even though his legs had come to rest on the cold, stone floor, he was still sideways, still gripping the door for all he was worth.  Just not hanging in midair anymore.  

"Oh, come on, Draco, it won't be THAT bad."

He just gave her a Look.  One that she fully understood, recognizing the lie for what it was.  She HAD spent the last six Christmases with the blasted trio; she could fully understand Draco's reluctance.  

"Okay, so it will be that bad.  But honestly, I have to do this every year!  You could at least have enough pity for me to come WITH me and keep me company," Ginny coaxed.  

Draco looked like he might be wavering, but the knuckles on his fingers were still deathly white from the grip he maintained on the door.  

Hmmm…this might call for her to pull out the big guns.  Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures, right?  Right.  

That having been decided, Ginny trailed her finger lightly down the side of his face and then along his jawline, allowing her thumb to just barely graze his lips.  As her hand made its journey across his face, and Ginny watched his breathing get faster, she contained her smile as she continued her coaxing, "Do you really want me to have a miserable holiday, Draco?  Honestly, if it's going to suck for both of us, wouldn't you rather be…together?"

For a second Ginny worried that he might have stopped breathing all together, but instead, he was so distracted, he released his death grip on the door and tried to sit up straighter.  Ginny had no doubt that he was trying to figure our a way to regain control of the situation, but alas, teenage boys…what could she say?  Bloody predictable when it came to certain things.

Ginny rolled her eyes, her mission—well, her mini-mission—having been accomplished.  That quickly, she was on the move again, a surprised Draco stumbling to his feet behind her.  Ginny could only hope that the moving staircases were in her favor today…she did NOT relish the idea of even the littlest pause wherein Draco might figure out a way to escape this dreaded fate.

She especially didn't want to give him time to think of the easiest way of all—simply kissing her.

Unfortunately…she quickly found that she had rather underestimated Draco.  Just when she thought her plan might actually succeed and she might actually get to spend Christmas with Draco and wouldn't have to imagine him spending a holiday like this all by himself, he grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her to a quick halt.

Such a quick halt that she ended up swinging back towards him.  So quickly and smoothly that Ginny didn't realize what was going on until after the fact, she was pinned with her back against the wall, Draco standing in front of her, leaning down until his nose was almost touching hers.  "Anyone ever told you how much of a stubborn little witch you are?"

"I grew up with six brothers.  They told me that on a daily basis."  Ginny couldn't even reciprocate the teasing tone she heard in his voice, she was so disappointed.  She had been so CLOSE!  But now, she looked up into Draco's eyes, waiting for him to kiss her, waiting for the Mischief Mistletoe to flit away, waiting for him to stalk back to his cold dungeon, Slytherin Common Room, waiting for him to leave her all alone.

Dammit!  All she had wanted was to spend Christmas with him.  Was that so bloody awful??  After their few conversations over the past couple of weeks, she hadn't imagined he'd be all that opposed to it—opposed to the Gryffindor Trio, yes, but not to the whole blasted idea!  But dammit all to hell, the picture of him alone in a cold dungeon for Christmas had stuck with her until she'd devised a plan to drag him to the Gryffindor Common Room, if she had to.  And she did have to.  Just too damn bad that it wasn't going to work!

It took Ginny awhile, being so distracted by her disappointment, to notice that Draco continued to look at her, and had yet to take the opportunity to escape.  "Well, what are you waiting for?  If you're thinking that we're going to spend another weekend in an empty classroom, you've got another bloody think coming!" Ginny proclaimed crossly.

Draco looked startled at her outburst.  Then he started laughing.

Ginny closed her eyes.  Damn, she loved hearing his laugh.  It had that unused quality and Ginny felt a sense of pride the few times she'd heard it before, a pride that stemmed from the fact that she'd had something to do with actually being able to make him laugh.  So sexy.  And she'd thought she'd had a chance to actually make him laugh on a regular basis.  To actually be with him and say to hell with everyone else and all their bloody problems with her and Draco being together.  She'd thought she'd had a chance to actually live out her daydreams about Draco.  Damn him to—

Draco's lips on hers interrupted her mental ranting before she could get into damning him to hell.  The shock of actually kissing him wore off after a split second and Ginny simply melted into the kiss.  Merlin, his kiss…it had the power to make her forget everything, probably even her own name.  Hot.  Sexy.  Invasive.  Giving.  Uncontrolled.  Wild.

Ginny's hands, which had been at her side, rose to his waist, gripping his robes in an attempt to pull him even closer to her, not that it was physically possible to BE any closer to him…well, while still being in a public hallway.  Draco had been leaning against the wall, his hands on either side of her head.  When she pulled him closer, his hands dropped, one curving around her back, reciprocating her efforts to pull him closer.  The other hand fell to her shoulder before moving to tangle in her hair, cupping the back of her head. 

Ginny parted her lips under the insistent pressure of his mouth and his tongue swept in, seeking and exploring.  Ginny tentatively returned the move, tasting the inside of his lips, running her tongue over his teeth, doing some exploring of her own.  Merlin he tasted good.  Ginny knew she could die happy, right here and now, having experienced Draco's kiss again.  He tasted like peppermint and something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on…who knew, maybe it was just the taste of Draco.  Sinful.  Exhilarating.  Heady.  Intoxicating.

Draco regretfully pulled back from the kiss eventually.  They did, unfortunately, have to come up for air at some point…though Draco immediately missed the taste of Ginny and moved in for another quick taste, just a little nip.

Ginny sank back against the wall, seemingly boneless.  Draco couldn't help the little prick of pride, knowing that he had caused that feeling in her.  Yeah…definitely good for his ego.  Or at least, it would have been, if he didn't feel exactly the same way.  Scorched and melted.

"Wow."

Ginny had taken the words right out of his mouth—a thought that immediately made Draco think of kissing her again.  Then again, he wondered what WOULDN'T make him think of kissing Ginny after this.  Just thinking about kissing her…he leaned down to place a quick kiss on her forehead.  A fleeting kiss, so quick he felt that he simply HAD to place another quick kiss on her nose…and then moved to her cheek.  Down her jawline.  Working his way back towards her lips.

Draco barely allowed himself the quickest of tastes, hardly satisfying, but it would have to do.  The reason he had pulled back in the first place—the desire to actually talk to her.

That was how he knew things were different with Ginny—he actually stopped kissing to TALK to her.  The fact that he WANTED to talk to her…that he wasn't just using her for a good snog—and Merlin knew, they were GOOD!  But what had made him initiate this kiss to begin with…the admiration he'd felt towards her.  The backbone and stubborn determination that she'd exhibited in her plan to drag him to the Gryffindor Common Room.  If he hadn't already fallen for her, he would have right then and there, seeing her so determined to go through with her plan, come hell or high water.

Yeah…Draco had fallen hard for the littlest Weasley.  Hell had indeed frozen over.

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A/N: You're almost there!  The next chapter is the epilogue….WHOOOOOO!!!!!!


	11. When All Is Said And Done

A/N: Well, this is it…welcome to the end! ~Carlee, aka SilverDragonsFlame

Disclaimer: If I was JK Rowling, and I owned Draco, well, I wouldn't spend so much time on FF.net, getting my D/G fix from all the other wonderful authors on here, who also, coincidentally, don't own Harry Potter...Wow, I fit in!

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Mischief Mistletoe – Chapter Ten – Epilogue 

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Draco and Ginny continued to stand in the hallway, trying to catch their breath.  Ginny focused on getting her scattered thoughts back in order.  Draco was still stunned by the realization that he had fallen hard for the only sister of one of his most hated rivals, the girl his father had, at one point, had a hand in almost killing.  The complications stemming from his actually liking Ginny seemed endless.

But right here, right now, Draco didn't care.  He'd seen Ginny stand up to anybody who crossed her, including himself, a feat that few witches or wizards could boast of.  Being with her…he actually didn't feel so intimidated by his father, he didn't fear the repercussions should his father find out, in hiding though he was.  When Draco was with her he felt stronger.  

"Well—aren't you going to head off to your little dungeon hideaway now that you've won?" Ginny's comment startled Draco from his euphoric thoughts.

Draco looked down at her, surprised and puzzled by her comment.  What did she mean, now that he'd won?  He'd kissed her because he'd finally given in to the fact that nobody stood a chance against Ginny when she wanted something.  And for some reason he couldn't fathom, she'd decided she wanted him with her for Christmas, in spite of knowing how much of a prat he could be, in spite of knowing how it would send her brother into an apoplectic seizure, in spite of knowing all the complications that their being together entailed.  And knowing that she wanted him, in spite of everything—well, hell's bells, who stood a chance against THAT?!

He couldn't help it; she looked so cross and peeved, he started laughing again.  That stopped quickly enough when she stomped on his foot!

"Ginny, do you know when the first time I ever noticed you was?"

"When a deranged piece of firewood locked us together for the weekend?" 

His hand came up to cup her jaw, his thumb brushing across her cheekbone, back and forth.  "No.  The first time I ever saw you was in Flourish and Blott's.  When you stood up to me to defend Potter over some stupid insult I'd dealt him.  And there you were, ready to defend him with your last breath.  Your eyes were flashing.  Your temper seemed to match your hair.  And I'd never seen anyone so beautiful, before or since.  Do you honestly think that _I_ think I stand a chance against you?  I haven't stood a chance from the day I first saw you…I certainly don't stand a chance against you now that you've decided I WILL spend Christmas with you."

Ginny's smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.  "Even if it means spending Christmas with the Trio from hell too?"

"Yes."

"So you're coming with me to my common room, even though the Mischief Mistletoe is long gone?"

Draco looked around, for the first time noticing that the charmed twig had taken off as soon as he'd kissed her.  He smiled.  "Yes, even though.  Speaking of that twig—the reigning charm: it was to create scandal, right?"

Ginny seemed to turn a shade of red as dark as her hair.  "Or," he corrected, "Based on the way you're blushing, I'm wrong.  So…what is it?  What's the purpose of the Mischief Mistletoe?"

"Ummm…" Ginny continued to stall.  Finally, speaking more to the floor than to him, she explained, "It's kind of to create scandal…but it's more like…how to put it?  Its main purpose is to bring together two people who are meant to be together, but would NEVER actually get together on their own.  Fred got it from his daughter's favorite fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, about true love's kiss—only, nothing could be that simple with Fred.  He had to put an extra charm on it so that obvious couples weren't captured by the Mistletoe—only the least likely couples a person could think of, but who were actually perfect for each other."

Draco's grin got bigger and bigger as her explanation went on.  He somehow doubted that the Weasley twins had EVER had hooking their baby sister up with a _Malfoy_ on their minds when designing the Mischief Mistletoe.  Then a more sobering thought occurred—he actually OWED them one now for bringing him and Ginny together.

"Well, no wonder, then, that you told them how well it worked," Draco whispered as he leaned down for another kiss, another unfortunately quick kiss.  "As galling as it is to admit, I owe them.  Bigtime."  Another quick kiss.  "Merry Christmas, Ginny."

Ginny growled after his third too-fleeting kiss.  "Merry Christmas, Draco."  That being said, she used one hand to tug his body closer while her other hand brought him down to her for another, longer, more satisfying kiss.  Who said they had to rush right off to the Common Room?  Surely, they could spare a _few_ more minutes…

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A/N: Well *sniff* that's it.  The end of Mischief Mistletoe *sniffle*  I can't believe it's actually over… *tries to hold back tears*  I know that I originally started this as a fic-mas, only it never got finished in time, and now Ginny and Draco have finally reached their own happy ending… *gives up and starts bawling*

So—Thank you SOOOOOO much to all you reviewers, those of you who have been reading from the beginning, those who put up with the LONG delays in updates, and those who just started reading Mistletoe recently.  Hopefully, you all tune in for my next Ginny/Draco adventure!

Anaa baseé: Bunny / Sailer Moon, Arynelle, bigreader, crazyginnygirl, Slainte, unperfection, sera, Ehlonna, Kathy, Lili, Hplova4eva, ronslilprincess, MoonDevil99, Megh, Peachula, Queen Anne of N.O, OCTFD, rose petel, SpiderSquirrel, Nichole Malfoy, Noire1, Mystic Winds, LoveToDanceLiveToSing, H.S., Nerwen Faelvirin, CiCi, Reven Eid, sabacat, KuTiExAzNzAnGeL, McKenzieMac, Stella7, Donni, Doyle'sangel, MoonlightPrincess, and Cianna Greenwood!!!!  THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOOOO MUCH—SERIOUSLY, I can't even explain how encouraging your reviews are…let's just say, this story, when I might have given up, not making the Christmas deadline and all…yeah, the reviews kept me writing.  Much love to ya'll!


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